This application claims priority of Taiwan Application No.9126591, filed on May 9, 2002.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wood planing machine, more particularly to a wood planing machine with an adjusting unit for adjusting a horizontal position of a cutter carriage of the wood planing machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a conventional wood planing machine is shown to include a base 11 having left and right sides, left and right pairs of posts 12 extending uprightly from the left and right sides of the base 11, a cutter carriage 13 having left and right carriage ends 131 mounted slidably and respectively on the left and right pairs of posts 12, and left and right screw rods 16 mounted rotatably on the left and right sides of the base 11. Tubular left and right thread members 15 extend through two through holes in the left and right carriage ends 131. The left and right screw rods 16 extend through and threadedly engage the thread members 15, respectively. Left and right fastening nuts 19 threadedly and respectively engage the thread members 15 so as to secure the thread members 15 on the cutter carriage 13. A transmission unit 18 includes two sprockets 181 fixed to lower ends of the left and right screw rods 16, and a transmission chain 182 trained on the sprockets 181 so as permit synchronous rotation of the left and right screw rods 16, which, in turn, results in vertical movement of the cutter carriage 13 relative to the base 11. A handle 17 is mounted on a top end of the right screw rod 16 to facilitate turning of the left and right screw rods 16.
One disadvantage associated with the aforementioned conventional wood planing machine resides in that adjustment of the cutter carriage 13 to a horizontal position, in which the cutter carriage 13 is parallel to the base 11, is inconvenient.
Therefore, the object of this invention is to provide a wood planing machine with an adjusting unit that is easy to operate for adjusting the cutter carriage to the horizontal position so as to eliminate the aforesaid disadvantage.
Accordingly, a wood planing machine of the present invention includes a base, left and right pairs of posts, a cutter carriage, left and right screw rods, a transmission unit, left and right thread members, and an adjusting unit. The base has left and right sides. The left and right pairs of posts extend uprightly from the left and right sides of the base, respectively. The cutter carriage includes left and right carriage ends mounted respectively and slidably on the left and right pair of posts. The cutter carriage defines a horizontal line extending from the left carriage end to the right carriage end. Each of the left and right carriage ends is formed with a vertical through hole. Each of the left and right screw rods defines an axis, extends through a respective one of the through holes in the left and right carriage ends, and is rotatable about the axis. Each of the left and right screw rods has a plurality of teeth, an adjacent pair of which defines a pitch therebetween. The transmission unit connects the left and right screw rods to permit synchronous rotation of the left and right screw rods. The left and right thread members are provided on the left and right carriage ends, and threadedly engage the left and right screw rods, respectively, so as to permit vertical movement of the cutter carriage relative to the base along the posts upon rotation of the left and right screw rods. The left thread member is formed with an engaging hole extending in a transverse direction relative to the axis. The adjusting unit includes a mounting wall mounted on the left carriage end adjacent to the left thread member, and a rod -member that extends in the transverse direction and that has a first rod section mounted rotatably on the mounting wall and a second rod section extending eccentrically from the first rod section and received fittingly in the engaging hole in the left thread member. The fine adjusting unit is operable in case the horizontal line is not parallel to the base after adjustment of the cutter carriage to a desired level via rotation of the left and right screw rod such that rotation of the first rod section results in vertical movement of the left thread member relative to the left screw rod by a distance within the pitch, thereby permitting the horizontal line to be parallel to the base.